A new Maggie's Centre has been added to the long list of the renowned, design- and wellbeing-led cancer support centres in the UK. Maggie's Southampton has been designed by London-based architect Amanda Levete and her team at AL_A, and it is ready to open its doors to staff, patients and visitors next month. The new building is located within rich architectural gardens – a ‘woodland oasis' of four distinct planted areas that ‘reflect the ecology of the nearby New Forest'.
The centre’s main building sits in the green site that has completely transformed a corner of the hospital site previously used for car parking. It has been conceived to offer support to the Southampton General Hospital's specialist oncology unit, which serves a population of 3.2 million people across the region.
‘We have imagined that a piece of garden has been transported from the New Forest into the midst of the hospital’s car park, bringing serenity and a bit of magic to the place,' says Levete.
The building feels clearly delineated and geometric, almost minimalist, broadly defined by straight lines and distinct surfaces; yet austere and cold, it is not. A palette of materials and textures ensures a layered and tactile approach that creates warm interiors and surfaces that are friendly to the touch. There are earthy ceramic-clad walls and four corners wrapped in a mottled stainless steel that reflects its green environment adding a dreamy quality. Inside, simple white plastered walls, ceramic and wood make for a welcoming and functional composition.
At the heart of the space is a communal kitchen table, illuminated by a skylight above. Around it are arranged private areas, including consulting rooms and quiet spaces, which open up to the surrounding foliage through generous glazing.
Landscape designer Sarah Price is behind the planting in the outdoor areas. ‘There’s no doubt that looking at nature has a positive impact on how we feel,' she says. ‘The landscape is inspired by the New Forest, and draws its healing power from the rich diversity of the forest’s flora: wood anemones, orchids, wild garlic, lesser celandines, bluebells and primroses, mosses and ferns, growing in the woodland pathways.'
INFORMATION
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 showsThe Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to knowDesigning the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spotHeritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
A new London house delights in robust brutalist detailing and diffused lightLondon's House in a Walled Garden by Henley Halebrown was designed to dovetail in its historic context
-
A Sussex beach house boldly reimagines its seaside typologyA bold and uncompromising Sussex beach house reconfigures the vernacular to maximise coastal views but maintain privacy
-
This 19th-century Hampstead house has a raw concrete staircase at its heartThis Hampstead house, designed by Pinzauer and titled Maresfield Gardens, is a London home blending new design and traditional details
-
An octogenarian’s north London home is bold with utilitarian authenticityWoodbury residence is a north London home by Of Architecture, inspired by 20th-century design and rooted in functionality
-
What is DeafSpace and how can it enhance architecture for everyone?DeafSpace learnings can help create profoundly sense-centric architecture; why shouldn't groundbreaking designs also be inclusive?
-
The dream of the flat-pack home continues with this elegant modular cabin design from KotoThe Niwa modular cabin series by UK-based Koto architects offers a range of elegant retreats, designed for easy installation and a variety of uses
-
Are Derwent London's new lounges the future of workspace?Property developer Derwent London’s new lounges – created for tenants of its offices – work harder to promote community and connection for their users
-
Showing off its gargoyles and curves, The Gradel Quadrangles opens in OxfordThe Gradel Quadrangles, designed by David Kohn Architects, brings a touch of playfulness to Oxford through a modern interpretation of historical architecture
